A New World
by Jedted
Summary: Commander Tom Shepard has ended the Reaper threat and ascended the races of the galaxy to a new level of evolution. Now he has miraculously returned to be with his love, Ashley.
1. Prologue

Earth - 7 days after the activation of the Crucible.

The massive reconstruction efforts are already underway thanks to the newly liberated Reapers, some of them are in the distance raising the skyscrapers, which they had previously destroyed under the control of the Catalyst. In foreground, some krogan, as well as the other allied races are helping to clear the rubble surrounding the Conduit linking to Citadel.

Thanks to the ingenuity of the Crucible engineers, they had been able to reactivate the Mass Relays that dispersed the energy wave. They had discovered that instead of Primary Relays only being point-to-point, they could now be used to travel instantly anywhere in the galaxy by using a unique code that is tied to each Relay (sort of like a combination on a locked door). The Secondary Relays still only allowed travel within a given region. This made galactic travel much more convenient however, one needed the code of the destination relay to travel there.

Fortunately, some engineers in the Sol System had hacked the Charon Relay and using Quantum Entanglement Communicators (QECs), the engineers were able to relay the code to allow most of the allied fleet to return to Earth. The Reapers, who had their own QECs, were able to forward information on how to unlock each relay to the various homeworlds.

The crew of the Normandy SR-2 had returned to Earth to help with the reconstruction efforts. Garrus, Liara and Tali had returned to their respective homeworlds to help rebuild there. Ashley and Vega were near the Conduit, which was currently inactive.  
The organic races of the galaxy had not fully understood what had happened to them when the Crucible energy wave hit them. All they knew was that their DNA had changed on a molecular level, those who had cybernetic implants now looked as if they were born with them. Some organics could now join minds in a manner similar to the asari. The visual effects had begun to fade, the glowing green eyes were still prominent but the luminescent skin had disappeared.

While rummaging through the rubble Vega had picked up a strange looking piece of metal that looked of Prothean origin.  
"You know what this is?" Vega said as he handed the Prothean artifact to Ashley.  
She shook her head, "Shepard must've had it on him during the assault on the Conduit." She clutched the echo shard close her chest as she stared up at the partly cloudy sky, thinking about the man she loved and wishing they had more time together.

Just then, a beam of light shot down from the sky and struck the base of the Conduit, it almost vaporized two krogan in the process. Everyone curiously stared at the Conduit, wondering why it had suddenly been re-activated. Ashley slowly approached the beam and stuck her hand out; she wondered if it was a sign that Shepard was still alive. "James, watch my back," she said not taking her eyes off the beam. Ashley instinctively walked through the Conduit, Vega followed hastily after her.

They found themselves in the center of a large room; it was open to space but protected from the vacuum with mass effect fields. On the floor, they could clearly see the bodies of Admiral Anderson and the Illusive Man, the latter appeared to have died of a self-inflicted head shot wound. Vega rushed to check on Anderson.

"He's still alive, but he's critical." Vega applied some medi-gel to stabilize Anderson. Ashley seemed to be in a trance. She walked toward the console near the edge, the echo shard still clutched near her chest. As she touched the console, she instantly saw a flash of images in her mind. She saw everything from the moments she and Shepard shared on the Normandy SR-1, to their reuniting on Horizon, and finally the two of them fighting Reaper husks side-by-side. The last image Ashley saw was the face of Tom Shepard who looked up and smiled at her.

"I love you, Ash. Wait for me," Shepard's voice whispered in her head.

"Skipper!" Ashley awoke to find Vega standing next to her with his hand on her shoulder. Ashley started crying, "He's alive."

"How?" Vega asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think his mind somehow exists inside the Citadel," Ashley said, staring wondrously into space.

Vega broke her out of her trance, "Come on, we should get Anderson to a hospital."

They activated a personal homing beacon and called for a shuttle to pick them and Anderson up.

* * *

**3 years later:**

The Presidium was in the middle of its artificial night cycle, the blue sky and clouds replaced by blackness dotted with twinkling lights, the artificial lighting lowered significantly.

Ashley Williams, Alliance officer and former Spectre agent, stood before the Prothean Conduit wearing a dark blue silky dress. Her long hair gently swayed in the artificial wind of the Presidium. The visual effects from what now known as the Crucible Event had almost completely faded away. If two people willingly joined their minds their eyes would glow, aside from that they looked just like they did before the event.

Ashley had come to this spot every year on the anniversary of the end of the Reaper War. The location held strong memories for her; she remembered the time Shepard and she drove a Mako through that miniature Mass Relay on their way to stop Saren six years ago. It seemed an appropriate spot for a memorial.

Suddenly, a loud hum broke the silence and the Presidium sky pulsated with a familiar green light, the same green light seen during the Crucible Event. The pulsing intensified and the hum got louder and louder, as if the Citadel was generating a massive amount of energy. Ashley could tell it was building up to something, but she had no idea what. She looked up to see a bright flash of light followed by a bolt of lightning leading from the Presidium ceiling down to the water. As the pulsating stopped and the hum faded away, she noticed what appeared to be a human body floating in the lake.

Ashley stared at it a moment before she softly spoke, "Tommy?" Could it really be Shepard's body? She quickly remembered that vision she had in the Citadel Core, and how nobody ever found Shepard body anywhere.

Ashley kicked off her high-healed shoes and tore the bottom of her dress before climbing over the railing and diving into the lake. Like a skilled athlete, she swam towards the floating body. She did not know for sure if it was in fact Shepard but she had to see for herself. As Ashley reached the body she could already recognize his face, she quickly dragged Shepard's unconscious body back to the shore of the Presidium.

Shepard was naked so Ashley activated her omni-tool and fabricated a blanket to cover him. She began performing CPR by pumping his chest repeatedly, after three pumps, she breathed into his mouth to inject air into his lungs. She repeated this twice, her basic military training made her extremely efficient at the task. To her pleasant surprise, it did not take long for Shepard to regain consciousness.

Ashley hugged him tight as he coughed, "Tommy! I can't believe your back!" As she let go of him there was a tear of joy running down her cheek.

Shepard looked at her inquisitively, "Who's Tommy?" Ashley gave him a nice hard slap to the face. "Okay, I'm sure I deserved that," Shepard responded, still looking a bit confused.

"That's _not_ funny." Ashley said seriously.

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I would remember a face as pretty as that."

Ashley smiled slightly. "Come on, we gotta get you out of here," she said as she picked Shepard up and helped him over the railing. She pulled the blanket over his head to cover his face, it had been a while since anyone had seen Shepard but she did not want to risk making a huge scene on the off chance that someone recognized him.

They moved quickly through the Presidium and towards the Wards, Ashley figured by using one of the commercial docks they would draw less attention. As they passed through the docks, they were just a few steps from the passenger shuttle before a turian c-sec officer stopped them.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" the c-sec officer shouted.

"Damn," Ashley cursed silently. "Don't worry, Skipper. I'll handle this."

"Mind if I take a look at your friend there, ma'am?"

Ashley slowly approached the officer to introduce herself, "Commander Williams, GPK(Galactic Peace-Keeper). I understand the security protocols but if you can believe this is who that scanner over there says, there shouldn't be any harm in letting us pass." Ashley was hoping the officer would understand Shepard's need for privacy. It did not seem fair to be mobbed by a bunch of c-sec officers while he didn't even remember who he was.

The c-sec officer did a quick pass of Shepard with his omni-tool then looked at it. "Okay, you can go. I assume I won't be seeing him on the Citadel again?"

Ashley responded, "Don't worry, we're gone." As they boarded the shuttle, Ashley and Shepard took their seats near back of the craft.

As the shuttle departed, Shepard asked a question, "So, where are we going?

"Home," Ashley answered. "To Mindoir, hopefully that will jog your memory a little bit."

Ashley grabbed Shepard's hand and then closed her eyes to get some sleep during the trip.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Edited chapter a bit to add a little more detail. I wanted Shepard's "resurrection" to be fantastic but mysterious, i'll elaborate more on how he came back in a later chapter. The Galactic Peace-Keeper is the replacement for the Spectre organization. They have they same authority as the Spectres but with more structure and a Code of Honor system(sort of like the Justicars). That Council has also been dismantled in favor of a new form of government._


	2. Chapter 1: Homecoming

As the shuttle approached Mindoir's main spaceport Tom Shepard was gazing out of the shuttle's tiny windows. He felt a strange sense of familiarity but he was not sure why. Ashley knew that seeing the planet where he was born would not immediately cause his memory to return but she was confident that it would. As the shuttle landed, they got up to leave through the airlock and into the spaceport.

After moving through customs Shepard and Ashley exited the spaceport. Shepard instantly felt the brisk, fresh air on his face and suddenly felt at home. Ashley led him to her private skycar and flew away together.

"You're gonna love this," Ashley said to Shepard while driving. "It's a nice house on the outskirts of the capital city. Just like you always talked about, all custom built, no shabby pre-fab structures. Had to enlist a few krogan labor workers, Wrex was more than happy to oblige," she said with a small smirk on her face.

Shepard was too busy admiring the view, his memory was still hazy but it felt familiar to him. The way the sun peeked over the horizon and cast it's glow across the sky and reflected in the water. The waves softly crashed onto the shore; there were also some rocky cliffs off to the right in the middle ground. It was a beautiful sight, like something out of a painting.

They arrived at a relatively small, two floor house not far from the shoreline. There was a large open patio in the front. Ashley brought the skycar in for a landing on the small pad in the backyard. They both got out and she led Shepard inside the house.

"Wait here," Ashley, said, as she ran upstairs to find Shepard some clothes. Shepard walked over to the front window to stare at the sunrise. Without thinking, he had dropped the blanket he had been wearing. He just stood there naked, basking in the warmth of the sunlight beaming through the glass.

A few minutes later Ashley walked down with some clothes. She took a second to admire Shepard's nice firm ass and then walked over to him. "I kept these for you," she said handing him a pair of dark blue jeans and his N7 hoodie. Shepard took them and put them on right in front of Ashley, he still did not remember her but he had not feel the least bit ashamed. Ashley smiled as she watched him get dressed.

"You were always working on those plans for the house you were gonna live in when the war was over," Ashley explained. "You even said this was where you wanted to build it on Mindoir."

Shepard explored the living room, seeking something that would help him remember. There was big picture on the wall above the fireplace. "That was one crazy night. Every time I look at it I think back to all of the adventures we had, and how that might be the last night we all saw each other." Shepard was lost in his own thoughts, squinting as he examined the various objects in the room. He walked closer to the painting to see if he recognized any of the faces but none of them popped out at him.

Shepard's eyes lowered to the echo shard sitting on top of the fireplace. Curiously, he reached out to touch it, he saw brief image of him and Ashley lying in bed together. Instinctively, he grabbed the echo shard in his hand and suddenly all of his memories came flooding back. From the attack on Mindoir, to the nightmare on Akuze, the Battle of the Citadel, the mission beyond the Omega-4 Relay, it all became so clear!  
Shepard then dropped his knees and Ashley rushed to his side. The echo shard fell from his hands onto the floor. It took him a few seconds to regain consciousness. "There's my favorite Alliance Hellcat," Shepard said as he looked up at Ashley.

"Skipper!" Ashley shouted as she squeezed him so tight he could barely breathe. "I thought I'd never see you again but when got that vision, I knew that some part of you was still alive."

"It's good to see your face again too Ash."

"Now off with those clothes, Mister!" Ashley said as if giving him an order. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

The two of them proceeded to rip each other's clothes off and have sex in front of the cozy fireplace, with Ashley on top of course. As they lost themselves in their passions, their eyes began to glow bright green, they felt a powerful ecstasy as not only their bodies joined but their minds as well. Ashley had never had sex with an asari but she guessed that this what it felt like, she had never felt closer to Shepard than she did right now.


End file.
